Time's Changes
by Kristy-chan
Summary: AUSequel to Best Friends Forever? After leaving for three years, Kenshin finally returns to Kyoto, but Kenshin is no longer the child Kaoru used to know. Will she learn his deadly secret, or will his new secrets end up hurting the ones that he care for?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

AN: Hey ya'll! here's the sequel to Best Friend's Forever. I don't think that you need to read BFF in order to understand this story and I hope that you enjoy this. Just to let you know, though you'll find out as soon as you begin reading, there is a time gap of about two years from its prequel. I was reading over the first few chapters of BFF and I seriously cringed at what i saw. It was the first fanfic that i had ever written and I saw a lot of mistakes and well...yeah. Let's just say I wasn't as proud of it as I was when I first wrote it. So, I might go back and edit it if I have the time. Who knows?

Anyway, on with the fic!

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**Chapter 1: Kenshin's return. **

Kaoru got up with the strange feeling that it was going to be a great Saturday, but she just couldn't remember why. She blinked, and then suddenly remembered. Kenshin was coming back today! It had been nearly three years since she had seen him after his freshman year in high school, and he was now a senior, and he was coming back to Meiji High!

During the summer before her freshmen year in high school, she had noticed that Kenshin was a bit distant and he seemed to always have this sad smile on his face. Whenever she asked what was wrong, he would brush it aside and say that it was nothing. But several weeks before the start of the new school year, Kenshin's mother was sent to the hospital after she seemingly collapsed. As it turned out, she had been hiding an illness from them for a long time, and she was dieing. Kenshin had suspected that something was wrong, and he knew that ever since his father died, they had been having some financial problems. About a week after she went to the hospital, Kenshin's mom died, and Kenshin became even more distant.

Everything that happened after that, happened all too fast. Before they knew it, Dr. Gensai, who was Kenshin's grandfather, came to help take care of the three orphans, and when Hiko was transferred to Tokyo for his job, they all went with him.

For the past two years, Kenshin and Kaoru had kept in touch by talking on the phone, though not as much as she would've liked, but enough to know what was happening. His little sisters Ayame and Suzume were living with Dr. Gensai in Tokyo, while Kenshin stayed with Hiko a few miles away. Why he chose to live with Hiko rather then his sisters and grandfather was a complete mystery to Kaoru, but whenever questioned, he would skirt around the subject and end the call, saying that he had something to do.

It was almost the start of the second semester in high school, and Kenshin would have to work hard to catch up with the rest of the seniors at school, but Kaoru knew that he could do it. He had always been a very sharp and intelligent boy.

Kaoru hummed happily as she got dressed and headed downstairs to get some breakfast. Yahiko was already at the table with their parents.

"You seem to be in a happy mood," commented her father with a teasing smile on his face.

"Of course! Kenshin's coming back today!" she said her blue eyes sparkling.

Yahiko perked up and his face lit into a smile. "Oh yeah! I completely forgot! What time is he supposed to get here?"

"We're not really sure," said Kaoru's mom. "Hiko said that he would call when they arrived at the airport."

Kaoru quickly finished her breakfast and then went to her room where she spent an hour or two trying to finish her weekend homework. By the time she was done, it was nearing lunch time and she went down to grab a sandwich. When her mother asked her whether or not she wanted to go out and have lunch, she declined not wanting to be out when Kenshin arrived.

For the next several hours, Kaoru tried everything she could think of to keep herself occupied. She called Misao and Megumi, but when she started talking about Kenshin again, the two claimed that they had an incoming call and hung up. She tried going on the computer, watching TV, reading, and playing games with Yahiko, but no matter what she did, she couldn't focus and her mind would always return back to the fact that Kenshin was coming back. When dinnertime was approaching and there was still no Kenshin, Kaoru began to feel frustrated and angry.

"Where the heck is he!?" she said pacing around her room like a trapped animal. Kaoru threw herself onto her bed and glared at her ceiling when all of a sudden, her father yelled, "Kaoru, Yahiko, can you come down here for a second!" Kaoru sighed. What did they do now? Her father only used that tone of voice when he was annoyed at something that they had done. Getting to her feet, she stepped out into the hallway to see Yahiko coming out of his own bedroom several feet away. Kaoru gave him a questioning look, but he shrugged, a clueless look in his eyes.

She turned and headed towards the staircase, but as she was descending, she suddenly froze, and her breath caught in her throat when she noticed that they had guests. There, standing at the door was Hiko and Kenshin.

Kenshin had changed... at least he had physically. He was taller, and his shoulders were broader. His boyish face had nicely matured, and his eyes were no longer the soft violet that Kaoru was so used to. They were now a bluish color, and they no longer contained the mischievous and cheerful spark that had always been a part of him as a boy. Even his hair had changed a bit. While it was pulled up into its customary ponytail, it somehow seemed darker, no longer as vibrant as it used to be. His skin tone also seemed a bit paler, making the crossed shaped scar marring his left cheek stand out even more, seemingly even deeper than it was before. Despite the changes however, Kaoru couldn't help but admire how attractive he was. He had always been a handsome boy as a child, but now that he was older and his features were more matured, Kaoru couldn't help but find him even more appealing and alluring than before.

"Kenshin!" exclaimed Yahiko from behind her, jolting her out of her musings. Kenshin looked up and their eyes met for a second before Yahiko suddenly pushed her aside and rushed to greet his surrogate older brother. Tearing his gaze away from the pretty girl that was his childhood friend, Kenshin allowed a grin to grace his lips as he and Yahiko grasped hands and gave each other a one-handed brotherly hug.

"Dang! You've grown up Yahiko," said Kenshin, his voice a bit deeper then what Kaoru remembered it to be. "You're what, fourteen now right?"

"Yeah," cried Yahiko a great grin plastered to his face, and pride apparent in his eyes.

_He's changed. It's been almost three years, Baka, of course he's changed! _Kaoru thought. _Did you expect him to stay exactly the same over the years?_ Suddenly, Kaoru hesitated on the stairs as she began to feel slightly nervous. He's changed. He wasn't the same Kenshin that she used to play with as a child. He's grown up, and she didn't know him anymore.

Kenshin looked up and a slight smirk, practically identical to Hiko's, appeared on his face. "You don't seem all that happy to see me Kaoru," he said in a familiar teasing tone that immediately set at her ease.

_Kaoru no baka! He's still Kenshin. No matter how much he's grown up, he's still Kenshin._

Practically running down the rest of the stairs, Kaoru launched herself into Kenshin's arms and she felt his chest rumble as a chuckle escaped his lips. How she had missed the feeling of his strong arms around her and his masculine scent engulfing her. "Kenshin no baka, of course I'm happy to see you," she whispered nuzzling her nose into the dark red hair over his shoulder. "I've missed you so much."

Kaoru pulled back and, not wanting to seem rude, turned to Hiko. "And of course I've missed you too Uncle Hiko," she said giving him a hug as well.

Hiko laughed and allowed an arrogant smirk to play on his lips. "Of course you did."

Everybody in the room laughed, and Kaoru's mother began to usher everybody into the dining room where she had just finished preparing dinner.

"You didn't have to make us dinner," said Hiko turning to Kaoru's mother.

"It was no trouble. I figured you would be coming soon, so I just made a bit more," she replied taking her seat beside her husband. Sitting across the table from Kenshin the way she had so many times as a child, Kaoru couldn't help but feel kind of nostalgic. A part of her wanted to believe that things were back to how they used to be back then, when they were children, but looking around the table, she couldn't help but feel a bit melancholy for the four people obviously missing from Kenshin's family. Dinners with the Himura's had always been a noisy and joyful event, but tonight, it seemed too quiet. The three adults on one end of the table were talking quietly amongst themselves, and Yahiko was too busy stuffing his face with food to notice the somewhat awkward silence on their end of the table.

Glancing up at Kenshin, she saw that he was seemingly relaxed while he ate his dinner in silence, but after conspicuously sending more glances up at him, she noticed that his eyes would continuously scan the table and land on her for a few seconds before he forced himself to look back down at his food again. So she wasn't the only one that noticed the awkwardness in the room.

Dinner seemed to last an eternity for the two teenagers and when it was finally over, Kaoru and her family walked Kenshin and Hiko to the door when Hiko announced that they should be heading home because they still had a lot of unpacking to do.

Bidding farewell to Hiko, Kaoru turned to Kenshin and offered a small shy smile. When Kenshin returned the smile, he made a move to hug her, and she hugged him back, though it wasn't as familiar as the first one was. Moving aside so that the rest of her family could say their good nights, her gaze was transfixed on Kenshin's figure as he turned around and offered one final wave to them. Shaking her head slightly, Kaoru raised her hand to wave back, but she couldn't help the feeling of disappointment at how their first meeting in over two years had ended up. With a slight sigh, Kaoru gently pushed their front door closed and headed towards her bedroom.

XXXXXXXXX

_Knock knock. _Kaoru stood awkwardly in front of Kenshin's front door as she waited for him to answer. A few seconds later, the distinctive sound of locks being undone was heard before the door slowly opened to reveal Kenshin, who was dressed in an old black t-shirt and dark blue sweats. Seeing Kaoru standing in front of his door, Kenshin's eyebrows furrowed somewhat.

"Hey Kaoru," he said casually. "What are you doing here?"

Clearing her throat, Kaoru raised her hands which were clutching a brown paper sack. "I brought some lunch from my mom," she said smiling.

"Oh…um, ok," he said pulling the door to invite the girl in. "Thanks. Why don't you come in?"

Throughout the entire time, Kenshin hadn't smiled once. His face had been kept carefully blank and because of that, Kaoru hesitated imperceptibly. The Kenshin she remembered was always smiling.

Kenshin raised an eyebrow. "Come on, you're not going to make me eat lunch all by my lonesome, now are you?" he said placing a slight pout onto his face. Giving a slightly embarrassed chuckle, Kaoru kicked off her shoes and stepped into his house.

"So, where's Hiko?" she asked following Kenshin into the kitchen where the table was covered in cardboard boxes. Pushing several of the boxes off to the side so that they had room, Kenshin pulled up a couple of chairs, and gestured for Kaoru to take a seat.

"He left. Said something about having some business to take care of, but if you ask me, he just didn't want to go through the hassle of unpacking," said Kenshin taking the offered sack lunch from Kaoru and pulling out a couple of sandwiches. "He's probably hoping that by the time he gets back, I'll be done."

Kaoru scoffed, "That sounds just like him."

"Doesn't it?" said Kenshin taking a bite out of his sandwich after handing one to Kaoru. "If there's anything or anyone that hasn't changed in the past two years, it's Hiko."

Kaoru lowered her eyes and an uncomfortable silence fell over the room. So he really had changed. Here he was practically admitting that he had changed, but the thing that bothered her the most, was if his feelings had changed. He's older now, more mature. Would he still feel the same way that he had for Kaoru before he left? Or would he feel that that was just a silly childhood infatuation?

_No! _thought Kaoru. _Stop thinking like that. No matter how he feels, he'll always be my friend. He'll always be here, and that's what's important! ...isn't it? _

"It's not the same, is it?" Kenshin said suddenly, his eyes blank except for the small traces of sadness held within. Looking up, Kaoru nodded.

"It's been almost three years, and we haven't really talked in a long time," he continued entrancing Kaoru in his serious gaze. "Things…things have changed. We've changed, and I'm not really sure where our relationship is at right now."

"…Yeah…" she whispered. "So…what do we do?"

"…I'm not really sure," he replied, his eyebrows furrowing. "I guess we can spend some time getting reacquainted for a while, and then we can decide where we want to go from there."

"Yeah, we could do that." Nodding, Kaoru forced a smile onto her face. "So I guess that means I'm stuck helping you unpack, huh?"

A small forced smile appeared on Kenshin's lips. "Of course you are. What better way to get reacquainted then by cleaning?"

Kaoru laughed and got up from her seat. "So where do we start?"

Getting up, Kenshin pulled the cardboard boxes back to sit in front of them. "Right here."

Slowly, they began to unpack the boxes filled with dishes and silverware, cups and other types of things normally found in kitchens.

"So…" said Kenshin as he stacked dishes into a cupboard, "how are the others doing?"

"The others are fine. They all know that you're back and were planning on throwing you a welcome back party, but some things came up and …yeah it didn't really work out," she replied throwing an empty box aside.

"Oh, well that's okay," he replied reaching down from his stool for some more dishes to place in the higher shelves. "It's too much trouble anyway."

"Mmm," mumbled Kaoru. "So where are Ayame and Suzume? I thought they would have come back too."

"Naw, they just finally got settled in Tokyo and Dr. Gensai felt it would be better to let them at least finish the school year. After that, it'll depend on if the girls want to come back or not."

"Oh," said Kaoru handing Kenshin more cups and dishes, while placing the silverware into a drawer. "So, have you gotten your schedule yet?"

"Nope, I think Shishou said that he already took care of that for me," he said hopping off of the stool. "But I still have to pick it up in the office tomorrow. So is Sano still with Megumi?"

"Yep. And Misao is still with Aoshi too."

"Yeah? And how about Yahiko? Did he ever ask Tsubame out?"

Kaoru giggled. "Actually, they went on their first date last Friday. I still think that they look absolutely adorable together."

A small smile appeared on Kenshin's face - though it didn't fully reach his bluish eyes - as he placed the silverware into the drawers. "That's great! I guess I missed a lot things while I was gone huh?"

"Kind of," she replied. "But don't worry about it, things haven't changed too much. Like, Sano and Megumi still bicker continuously, and most of the teachers at school are the same from your freshmen year."

"Aa," he mumbled. Picking up a dirty rag that he had thrown carelessly onto the counter before Kaoru showed up, Kenshin began to spray some cleaners onto the countertops and started wiping them down.

"Dang, everything's so dusty in here," he grumbled intentionally changing the subject.

"Well of course, it's been nearly a whole year since anybody came in here and really cleaned the place out. Me and mom were planning on coming in, in about a month or two for spring cleaning, you know," she said scrunching up her nose. "But since you're here now, I guess we don't have to anymore."

"Dang, if only I waited a couple more months, I wouldn't have to clean this stuff up," sighed Kenshin.

Suddenly, a dirty rag collided with the back of Kenshin's head and he turned to find Kaoru with a satisfied look on her face. "And here I thought you had matured," she said a slight smirk playing on her lips. "You're still a lazy bum, Kenshin Himura."

"Hey!" he protested deciding to play along, "I was never a lazy bum…I just, didn't like doing chores unless you were there to make my job easier…"

Kaoru laughed. "Whatever you say Kenshin."

The first genuine smile in while spread across Kenshin's face as he turned around and continued his work in the kitchen. It took them several hours to finish off the unpacking in the kitchen and living room, but by the time dinner was rolling around, the two were done with the two rooms and were practically collapsed on the couches that they had dragged up from the basement.

"Oh my gosh, I haven't done that much cleaning and unpacking in a long time," whined Kaoru.

"Well, aren't you glad that you helped me with it then," asked Kenshin from his couch. "Imagine how long it would've taken me to do it myself." Kaoru chuckled and threw a pillow at him. "You wish."

Suddenly, a loud grumble sounded and Kaoru shot straight up, her hand on her stomach and face a pink tinge. Kenshin laughed and then slowly pulled himself into a sitting position as well. It felt so good to laugh again.

"Looks like it's dinner time. Come on, I'll cook us something to eat."

Kaoru's blush deepened as she got up from the couch. "Oh no, it's okay. It's getting late and I should probably be getting back. My mom's expecting me home for dinner."

"No, she isn't," said Kenshin. "I called her earlier and told her that you'd be having dinner here."

Kaoru's eyebrows furrowed. "No you didn't. When did you have time to do that?"

"When you went to the bathroom," he answered grabbing a hold of her hand – which to his amusement turned Kaoru's cheek a deeper crimson color – and gently led her to the kitchen. "Now come on."

Kenshin pushed her into a seat at the kitchen table and then opened up the pantry. Scratching the back of his head, Kenshin turned around with a pack of uncooked pasta shells in his hand and gave Kaoru a sheepish smile. "I hope you don't mind some pasta. That's all we have right now."

Kaoru stared at him for a second before bursting into laughter. "Wait a minute," she laughed. "You're actually going to cook?"

Kenshin raised an eyebrow. "Uhh…yeah?"

"Dang, maybe you really have changed. Back then, the most you would do in the kitchen was help out when our mothers _asked_ for it. Now you're _willingly_ going to cook for me."

"Hey at least I knew how to cook back then," he said a slight teasing smile appearing on his face.

"Yeah, if you call knowing how to make cup-a-noodles and scrambled eggs knowing how to cook then yeah you knew how to cook."

"Hey! At least I could do _that _back then. If memory serves, I believe _you _were completely hopeless in the kitchen. Has that changed any?"

Kaoru's cheeks lit up in embarrassment and she crossed her arms indignantly. "Yes that has changed! I'll have you know my cooking is a lot better than it used to be."

"Oh really? Well you're going to have to prove that to me one of these days," said Kenshin as he took out a couple pots and ingredients from the fridge.

About a half an hour later, Kaoru found herself seated in front of Kenshin once again, and though she didn't want to admit it, the dish sitting in front of her actually looked and smelled really good, a whole lot better than how hers ever turned out.

Kenshin watched her face as he sat across from the girl and prompted her to try it.

"Go on. It's not poisoned you know," he said when he caught her glaring at the plate of pasta.

Kaoru picked up her fork and took a bite of the flavorful food. Suddenly she froze and her glare intensified.

Kenshin raised an eyebrow at the expression on her face. "Is it really that bad? I always thought I was a pretty good cook, and it tasted fine to me when I tried it earlier."

With an eyebrow twitching, Kaoru placed her fork down and looked up with an irritated look on her face. "No, it's just that…it's a lot better then my cooking. Since when did you know how to cook?"

Kenshin stared at her for a second before her words finally registered in his mind. _She was annoyed because I cook better then her? _He sighed inwardly, once again feeling relieved to see that she hadn't changed all that much. "Uhh…well you know Uncle, he isn't exactly the most helpful of people. He made me cook dinner everyday, and …I guess I just got better at it as time passed."

"Yep, he hasn't changed at all," nodded Kaoru turning back to her plate and taking another bite. As the two began to eat, another silence fell upon them, but it was quickly broken by Kaoru before it could get uncomfortable.

"I'm really glad you came back," she said. "We've all really missed you."

Kenshin brought his intense blue eyes up to meet Kaoru's sapphire colored eyes. "Yeah, I've missed all of you guys too. Especially you."

Kaoru blushed. She was used Kenshin's show of affection back then, but now it seemed different. Being faced with an older and more mature Kenshin, Kaoru couldn't help but to blush. "What was it like over there?"

Kenshin looked down. "It was...kind of lonely, and things were a lot harder...more dangerous."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. I heard that that guy Battousai - I think it was - started killing people in the name of Tenchuu," she said. Kenshin stiffened and his eyes darkened somewhat, but Kaoru didn't notice. "It must've been pretty scary living there during all of that."

"...Yeah," said Kenshin, his voice devoid of all emotion. Kaoru looked curiously at Kenshin. "It all started when you first moved there right?"

"...Aa. So you guys heard about that over here?"

"Well yeah, it was all over the news. And the weird thing is, the guy uses swords to kill. I mean how odd is that?"

Kenshin remained silent as Kaoru talked. "There was even a point when people here claimed that they saw the Battousai. There were several killings here, and a lot of parents were hesitant on sending their kids to school. Did you ever see him Kenshin?"

Slightly surprised, Kenshin's head jerked up and Kaoru thought she saw flecks of amber in Kenshin's eyes, but whatever she thought she saw was gone a second later and the redhead's eyes were once again blank. "Uhh...no..."

"...Are you okay?" she asked concern evident in her eyes.

Shaking his head slightly, a strained smile appeared on Kenshin's face. "Yeah, I"m fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me," reassured Kenshin.

"...Okay," she said hesitantly. "So, are you ready for school tomorrow?"

"I guess so," he said thankful for the change in subject.

"You think we'll have any classes together?"

Kenshin shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe..."

For the next hour or so, they talked about little things, and before they knew it, it was starting to get late. After walking Kaoru to the door, Kenshin stood awkwardly beside her on the porch.

"Thanks for helping out," he said closing the door behind him.

"No problem," she answered. "I was glad for the opportunity to hang out with you again."

"Yeah," said Kenshin. Awkwardly, Kaoru raised an arm to hug him and he embraced her as well, but just like the last hug they shared, the slightly hesitant and uneasy atmosphere caused the hug to lack the warmth and comfort that was normally expected. Pulling apart, Kenshin cleared his throat and said, "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Yeah," she replied turning around. "Bye."

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AN: Well? I hope you guys enjoyed that. Please review and let me know if you guys think i should continue with it. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: **

Kaoru yawned and rolled herself out of bed to land on all fours. Groaning at having to wake up at 6 AM just for school, she straightened up and pulled her shades open to let in the rays of the just barely rising sun. Yawning once again, she turned to go and get ready, when she suddenly saw a glimmer of red out her window overlooking the sidewalk and did a double-take. Jogging down the street was a certain red head and by the looks of it, he had been out running for a while. He was wearing black sweatpants and a loose-fitting white tank-top, practically see through with the amount of sweat drenching it. His crimson red hair was pulled up into its customary ponytail and stuck to his back and shoulders as he jogged towards his house.

Just as he was about to pass her house, he seemed to sense that someone was watching him and turned his head upward straight toward her. Their eyes met, and Kenshin offered a small smile and wave as he slowed down to a stop right in front of her two story house. Grinning, Kaoru yanked her window open.

"How long have you been running?" she asked. "You're drenched in sweat." She scrunched up her face to emphasize her point.

"About an hour," he answered back breathlessly. "Been up since like 5."

"Dang! You've got lots of self-discipline. I'd never be able to do that!" she exclaimed. "…Or did Hiko force you into it?"

Kenshin scoffed. "Well, I gotta stay fit don't I?" he said.

"I guess so. …You are going to take a shower before school right?"

"Of course not, why would I do that?" he said in a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Ewww, well than you're not coming to school with me."

Rolling his eyes dramatically and shaking his head, Kenshin couldn't help the smile that lit up on his face. "Of course I'm taking a shower. What do you take me for? A sweaty pig?"

"Maybe." Kaoru giggled. "Anyway, I gotta go get ready, I'll see you in a bit."

"A'right, see ya," he said before turning and walking across the lawn to his house next door.

Sliding her window closed, Kaoru smiled brightly and began her morning routine to get ready for school. By the time Kaoru was done and zipping up her gym bag for kendo practice after school, her doorbell rang. Quickly going down the stairs, she figured that Yahiko had answered the door and saw that he was pulling his own backpack on and shouldering his gym bag.

"Oi! Busu, Kenshin's here!" said Yahiko loudly without turning around.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here," she said in an annoyed tone. "And don't call me Busu!" A fist came down on Yahiko's unsuspecting head. Walking passed her younger brother to join Kenshin outside, she ignored the glare coming from the spiky haired boy. She heard him grumble as he pulled the door closed loudly behind them. Rolling her eyes, she started walking down the sidewalk with Kenshin beside her. He had changed out of his sweaty clothes and into the navy blue uniform from their school.

"Hey Kenshin," said Yahiko with an inquiring tone. "Were you going to join the kendo team?"

He shrugged. "Dunno…"

"Aw come on Kenshin. Don't tell me you gave up Kendo."

"Naw, don't worry, kenjutsu is still very much a part of my life."

"But you don't know if you're going to try out?"

He shrugged again.

"Is Hiko going to try and coach the kendo team, like he used to?" asked Kaoru.

"Uhh…I think so," responded Kenshin. "He did mention something about helping out, but don't you guys already have a coach?"

"Yeah, but he never really wanted the position. He was kinda forced into it, cuz none of the other teachers at our school are qualified," explained Kaoru. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind having Hiko around."

"Yeah, so that means that if you decided to join, you wouldn't even have to try-out," said Yahiko.

"I guess, but I'm still not sure yet."

"…What's there to think about? I thought you loved Kendo…"

"Stop pressuring him Yahiko," scolded Kaoru giving her brother a whack to the head.

"_You_ stop pressuring him!"

"Good one," said Kenshin wryly earning himself a glare from Kaoru. "I was just kidding," he murmured.

As he watched Kaoru and Yahiko bicker on their way to school, a small nostalgic smile crossed Kenshin's face, before it was overshadowed by a more melancholy expression. Things weren't the same anymore. Back then, Kenshin would have found their squabbling amusing, but now…it just made it so much more painfully obvious to Kenshin that his friends were still so young and innocent. That while their lives had continued on normally, he had been forced to give up his childhood and his innocence, which would never be regained.

Kenshin started and blinked when he felt Kaoru's hand touch his shoulder. He turned his head toward her and was met by concerned sapphire eyes.

"Kenshin, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…Why?" asked Kenshin pushing aside his thoughts.

"Uhh…Well we're here…"said Yahiko casting Kenshin an odd look at his uncharacteristic lack of awareness.

Kenshin blinked and realized that the boy was right and that they were standing right in front of the school's gates. "..Oh yeah…" Kenshin said sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

"Uhh…okay, well I'm gonna go now," said Yahiko, "I'll see you guys later."

"See ya," replied Kenshin a slightly curious look in his eyes.

"He's gonna go and wait for Tsubame," Kaoru provided and Kenshin nodded as understanding dawned. Letting his eyes scan the school courtyard, he realized that they were still really early. There were barely any teenagers around the campus and the redhead didn't miss the less-then-innocent stares of the few girls that were already there.

Choosing to ignore them the way he had for the past few years, Kenshin followed Kaoru into the building. "So where are we going?" he asked.

"You need to get your schedule right? And come to think of it, you need a locker too…"

Kenshin nodded and walked with his childhood friend into the office where he collected what he needed and followed Kaoru to where his locker was located. Finally arriving at his locker, Kenshin organized his new books into it and took a look at his schedule, moving it so that Kaoru could take a look as well.

Kaoru suddenly started squealing and pointed at his schedule with an excited look on her face. Kenshin looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"We have first period together!" she exclaimed happily.

"Really?" Kenshin looked down at where Kaoru was pointing and froze at what he saw.

**Period 1 : Japanese History – Saitou**

"…But didn't you take that class last year?" she asked, not noticing Kenshin's sudden stiffness.

Kenshin coughed and pushed his shock aside. "Uhh…no, in Tokyo, we did things in a different order. I took World History last year and was taking Japanese History this year….Is that Saitou as in Hajime Saitou?"

"Yeah, he was your PE teacher when you were a freshman right?" said Kaoru leading Kenshin towards her own locker, which was located nearby. He nodded and watched as she opened it and pulled her history book out.

"He's still here?" he asked his voice carefully controlled to reveal nothing but curiosity.

"Well, he left a bit after you did for a while, but he came back at the beginning of this year," she said. "But don't worry, he isn't that bad of a teacher as long as you do the work and pay attention."

"…Aa…"

Suddenly, they heard someone yell out from behind them. "Oi! Jou-chan! Kenshin!" Recognizing the voice instantly, Kenshin turned his head and allowed a grin to cross his face at the sight of his old friend Sanosuke, as well as his girlfriend Megumi beside him, and Aoshi with Misao clinging to his arm. Sano hadn't grown much considering his already tall physique when they parted ways, but his shoulders had grown broader and his voice slightly deeper, but other than that, he was exactly as Kenshin remembered him. Aoshi on the other hand, had changed a bit, his boyish looks replaced by high cheekbones and more mature features.

"Hey Dude!" cried out Sano raising a hand in front of him.

"Sano, it's been a long time," said Kenshin grasping his hand and giving the taller boy a one handed brotherly hug.

"Yeah, it has!" he said grinning widely. "Dang! You actually kinda grew!"

Choosing to ignore the comment, Kenshin turned to Megumi and Misao.

"Hey ladies," he said taking note of the changes in appearance in each one of them. They had both matured nicely, developing nice curves and pretty features, though he still couldn't help but to prefer Kaoru's natural beauty over theirs. Not that they weren't beautiful or anything, because they were, in their own way.

"Wow, Ken-san, you've grown up," said Megumi with a smirk on her face, while giving him a slight hug.

"Yeah, you look kinda different. Didn't really expect it," said Misao circling him and taking note of his looks causing everybody else to sweat-drop.

"Ano…thank you?" murmured Kenshin watching as Aoshi put a hand on the energetic girls shoulders to stop her seeming inspection of the redhead.

"Kenshin," he nodded.

"Hey Aoshi," said Kenshin giving him a frat hug as well, and stepping back to find them all somewhat staring at him.

"…What?" he said hesitantly.

Sano's brows furrowed in concentration, "There's something really different about you…" he said.

"…Really… well it has been 2 years…I'm sure you guys have changed too," he said his face completely blank.

"...Yeah, I guess you're right," said Sano a broad grin suddenly replacing the serious expression. "So, how you been?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kaoru sat down in her desk and motioned for Kenshin to sit in the empty desk beside her. Pulling out her textbook, and notebook, she missed the raised eyebrow that Saitou sent Kenshin as he walked into the room and the returned glare that would have surprised her. While paying close attention to her teacher as he began a lesson on the Bakumatsu, the blue-eyed girl couldn't help but to glance several times at her redheaded friend. It was somewhat of a surprise to find him not only not taking any notes, but also staring blankly out the window, not bothering to at least feign attention. The Kenshin she remembered always had the best notes from class. She used to borrow his old notes to study for tests whenever she was having trouble with a class that he had already taken. He was extremely smart and excelled in his studies, but this older Kenshin seemed bored and uncaring.

As he shifted in his seat and leaned his chin to rest on the palm of his hand, Kaoru realized just how much attention his glinting red hair was drawing from the girls all around the room.

"He's hott," Kaoru heard a girl behind her whisper to her friend.

"No kidding," she whispered back. "You think he has a girlfriend?"

Rolling her eyes and pushing the jealousy rising in her chest aside, Kaoru turned her attention back to the narrow-eyed teacher giving a lecture in front of the room.

"…During that time, there were four samurai that became known as the four hitokiri of the Bakumatsu. They were said to be on the side that was against the Tokugawa Shogunate and they were considered to be elite warrior that were undefeatable to the common people…" he said writing some key facts on the board. At the sudden silence, Kaoru looked up and her eyes widened as Saitou's narrowed eyes were focused on an unsuspecting Kenshin. To her and her class's complete surprise, instead of his usual warnings and threats, Saitou suddenly grabbed an eraser on his desk and faster then the eye could see, chucked it at the redhead staring out the window. Not once had she ever seen any teacher actually throw something at a student for not paying attention.

Horrified, Kaoru expected the eraser to hit Kenshin square in the face, but to her amazement, the eraser suddenly disappeared with a swipe of Kenshin's left hand. Turning lazily towards their teacher, Kenshin resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Yes, Saitou-_sensei_," he said with what sounded to Kaoru like slight mockery. The whole class held their breath. Nobody ever spoke to Saitou in that tone and got away with it. _What happened to Kenshin? He used to be so respectful and prudent, especially when it came to teachers._

"I expect you are paying attention Himura," said Saitou curtly.

"I am," he responded tersely.

"Then would you please tell the class the names of the four hitokiri of the Bakumatsu."

"If this is a test of my attention, you haven't mentioned them yet," answered Kenshin matter-of-factly, "but their names are Kawakami Gensai, Nakamura Hanjiro, who was also known as Kirino Toshiaki, Tanaka Shimbe, and Izo Okada."

Kaoru gaped openly at the redhead, much like most of the class, and Kaoru saw a Hiko-like smirk cross Kenshin's lips before an emotionless expression replaced it and he continued his gazing out the window. All around Kaoru, amazed and admiring whispers broke out before they were quieted by Saitou's amber glare. Despite the fact that Saitou had continued his lesson, Kaoru couldn't help but to allow her mind to wander back to the redhead beside her. Apparently his skills hadn't diminished at all over the years. If possible, his senses and reflexes had grown more acute. Besides that, it was somewhat of a relief to her that he was still paying attention, even if it didn't look like it. At least that meant that he still cared about his grades like he used to.

Kenshin sat at his desk beside Kaoru near the window, impassively staring out at the sky above, ignoring all of the looks being thrown his way. He sighed inwardly. He should be used to this type of thing, but he couldn't help but to be annoyed by their constant staring. The morning before class began passed so quickly that before they knew it, the bell had rung and Kenshin and Kaoru found themselves scrambling to the other side of the school where their first period was located. He had to admit that it felt so good to be able to somewhat reconnect with his old friends after so long. He hadn't felt so…normal in a long time, and it felt good to be just a normal boy in school for once, though deep down he knew that he could never be a completely normal high school teenager.

Suddenly, the bell signaling the end of class rang loudly, and if it hadn't been for his ingrained self-control, Kenshin would have jumped in his seat. Feeling somewhat surprised at actually having zoned out the rest of class, Kenshin gathered his things and got up to follow Kaoru out of the class. Right as they passed by Saitou's desk, the redhead stiffened and moved to avoid what he knew was coming, but due to mass of students all trying to fit through one door, Saitou's hand was able to painfully grasp Kenshin's forearm and yank him back somewhat forcefully. Narrowed amber eyes facing steel blue ones, Saitou glared at the youth and said in barely a whisper, "I better not ever catch you blatantly disrespecting me again or you'll find yourself in so much trouble that you'll find it extremely difficult for you to carry on your _extracurricular activities_. Is that understood?"

Kenshin narrowed his eyes at the implications behind the sleek-haired bastard's words and nodded stiffly. "Hai."

"Good," smirked Saitou releasing his grip on the teenager. Resisting the urge to rub his somewhat throbbing arm, Kenshin made his way out of the now empty classroom to Kaoru, who was waiting outside of the room with a confused look in her eyes. "What'd he want?"

Kenshin shrugged and took the lead towards their lockers. "Nothing."

"What do you mean nothing?" asked Kaoru jogging to catch up to Kenshin in the crowded hallway. "He wouldn't have kept you back if he wanted nothing."

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing," he said.

"Aww, come on Kenshin," she said.

"It's nothing."

Eyebrows furrowed in frustration, Kaoru huffed and continued walking beside him towards their lockers. She had forgotten how stubborn and hard headed he was. As soon as they exchanged books from their lockers, they parted ways and didn't see each other again until after school. Kaoru and the others couldn't even find Kenshin during lunch time. It seemed he had disappeared during lunch and seemingly reappeared after school, shrugging off their questions.

"But seriously dude, where were you? We looked everywhere – random classrooms, the cafeteria, our old hangouts, the library, everywhere man. Where the heck where you?" questioned Sano as he and Kenshin headed over to the gym where they promised to meet Kaoru and Yahiko before Kendo practice started.

"Sano, just drop it. I told you I was talking to one of my teachers about something."

"The_ whole_ lunch? Come on just tell me what's going on."

"I told you Sano," sighed Kenshin.

"Okay then which teacher was it?"

"Don't worry about it. Besides, we're here anyway," replied Kenshin stepping into the dojo-turned-gym filled with students in the traditional hakamas and gis, each holding a wooden sword. They were mostly boys – actually all but Kaoru were boys, and she was on one side, lightly sparring with Yahiko who had a determined look on his face. Seeing Tsubame watching from the bleachers, Kenshin and Sano took a seat beside her.

"Hey Tsubame. How've you been?" asked Kenshin. Turning to her left, her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the matured redhead.

"Kenshin-senpai. You're here! I-I mean I've been well. How've you been? How was your first day back?"

"It was alright," Kenshin smiled gently.

"Kenshin!" cried out Yahiko excitedly. "Did you decide to join the team?"

Turning toward the dark haired boy and his sister, he smiled slightly and shook his head. "Just here to observe for today. Besides I didn't bring any of my stuff anyway."

A frown marred Yahiko's face as he crossed his arms. "I still don't see why you need to think about it."

Rolling her eyes at her brother's hard-headedness, Kaoru took at step towards Kenshin. "And where were you during lunch?"

"Uhh…" said Kenshin knowing that his half-answers wouldn't satisfy the fiery girl again.

"OI!" a voice cried out loudly in the gym. "What are you two doing? Why haven't you begun the warm-ups like everybody else?" yelled Saitou as he entered the gym

"Crap," mumbled Yahiko.

"Sorry Saitou-sensei!" cried out Kaoru as the two immediately scurried off to join the rest of the team.

"Saitou's the coach?" said Kenshin in surprise. He really should have expected it. What other teacher at this school new swordsmanship as well as Saitou? Although, he had to admit that if he had known that Saitou was the coach, he would have reconsidered his decision to watch the kendo practice.

"Mhmm," mumbled Sano. "And he pushes them pretty hard too."

"I wouldn't expect any less from him."

"You got that right."

"Well well well," leered Saitou as he caught sight of them on the bleachers. "If it isn't the little trouble makers Himura and Sagara. Don't tell me you're here to join the team Himura. I'm afraid you'll have to try out just like everybody else."

"Don't worry Saitou. I don't intend on joining_ your_ team."

"Why not?" cried out Yahiko having overheard their conversation. "We already know that you're good enough."

"Yeah, Himura," smirked Saitou. "Why not? We could have a tryout right now." By then, the entire gym's attention was on Saitou and Kenshin. "What do you say team? Wouldn't you like a demonstration from the legendary Himura? For those of you who don't know, he won the championships here his freshman year."

Awed chatter broke out around the gym.

"You should've seen him back then. Only 14 years old and the best one out there!"

"Yeah, he was even better then Enishi-senpai. I heard he was the co-captain that year too."

"Oh wow, and he's thinking of joining the team again?"

"Dang, I hope he agrees."

"Yeah, me and Kaoru have known him all our lives! You won't believe how fast he is!" exclaimed Yahiko talking to his fellow freshmen.

_Great! Just great!_Thought Kenshin as the gym began to quiet down at Saitou's signal.

"So Himura, what'll it be?"

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline," he responded.

"And why is that?"

"I don't have my stuff." _Such a stupid excuse. _

"Oh, well we have plenty of spares," said Saitou signaling for a boy to hand him his shinai.

"I can't use wooden swords," murmured Kenshin, hoping that it would get him out of this fight.

Raising an eyebrow, Saitou turned on his heel. "I see…very well then. I'll speak to you after practice."

Sighing, Kenshin ran his hands through his hair. He knew what was coming and he knew that he wouldn't be able to get out of the gym without Saitou's noticing. He would have to face the Wolf after practice and there was nothing that he could do about it. At least he didn't have to worry about the whole kendo team watching the match though. Saitou would most likely wait until everybody had left before taking out the katanas that he knew lay in the storage room because he knew as well as everybody else that using the katanas for anything other then a demonstration or self-defense could bring a lot of trouble, not that he was afraid of the trouble. On the contrary, Kenshin was sure that Saitou only thought that it would be bothersome to have to deal with the consequences of breaking the rules.

"Dude, what'd you do? Saitou already seems to hate you, and it's barely your first day. I mean I know we caused some trouble during freshmen year and all, but it wasn't so bad that he would be so eager to fight you," said Sano, a slightly worried look in his eyes.

Kenshin shrugged. "I guess he never really liked me much."

"Why don't you just leave now? We'll tell him you had to go," mumbled Tsubame worriedly.

"Believe me, he'll notice. Besides, I have History with him, so if I don't face him now, I'll have to tomorrow morning."

"Good point," said Sano.

Sighing inwardly at his fate, Kenshin watched as the 2 hour practice progressed all too quickly and the team was dismissed. Remaining in his place, the redhead watched as the gym was quickly cleared of the students eager to return home. Soon, the only people still in the gym were Saitou, Kaoru, Yahiko, Sano, Tsubame, and himself. As Kaoru and Yahiko came towards the bleachers, Saitou purposefully strode to the storage room and, opening the doors, promptly drew out two katanas. With a quick jerk, Saitou sent a sword sailing towards Kenshin, who easily swiped the weapon out of the air.

"Well there you go, no wooden swords," he smirked.

"Wait a minute, you can't use those!" cried out Kaoru realizing just what was in Kenshin's and Saitou's hands. "They're not sakabatou! You're not allowed to use them against a student!"

"Stay out of this Kamiya. It is Himura's fight."

"Why are you so intent on getting me to do this?"

"Because we haven't fought in a few years, and I haven't had a good challenge in the longest time. Besides, your classmates _really want_ you to join our team," he said with mock innocence. "Also, I hear that you've made quite a name for yourself back in Tokyo and that your names spread all throughout Japan." Kenshin's eyes narrowed slightly.

With the ever present smirk on his face, Saitou turned on his heel and headed toward the middle of the gym. Standing up in between Sano and Tsubame, Kenshin pulled his navy blue uniform jacket off to reveal a white button-up shirt underneath.

"Are you sure you wanna do this Kenshin?" asked Sano. "Saitou isn't gonna go easy on you just because you're a student and now that you're using real swords, you could get hurt."

"Of course I don't want to do this Sano," said Kenshin placing his jacket down and grabbing a hold of his borrowed sword. "But it doesn't look like I have much of a choice."

As Kenshin was about to step down, he felt Sano place a hand on his shoulder. "I got your back," he grinned. The redhead nodded and, making his way down the bleachers towards Saitou, Kenshin gracefully moved through the mess of gym bags and backpacks littering the seats and walkways of the bleachers until Kaoru stopped him at the bottom.

"Kenshin don't do this," she pleaded, eyes filled with worry. Stepping up to her, he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about me. I'll be alright."

"Kick his ass Kenshin!" said Yahiko from beside his sister. "…and I'm sorry for getting you into this mess. I didn't mean for you to get stuck with a fight against Saitou. I was just thought that the idea of being on the same team was pretty cool, you know."

"Hey don't worry about it Yahiko. This match was inevitable from the moment I met up with Saitou this morning. It's not your fault." Forcing a smile onto his face for the sake of his friends, Kenshin stepped past them and walked up to Saitou.

The wolf's amber eyes held a crazed and excited look as he stepped back and unbuttoned his jacket.

"Let's see if you're as good as you were last year, Battousai," murmured Saitou barely loud enough for even Kenshin's acute hearing to pick up.

* * *

AN: Sorry for the extremely loong wait. I haven't updated any of my stories in ...forever. It's my junior year in high school and the work load is crazy. Besides that I haven't been in the mood to write much lately. Anyways, i hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be filled with action. I hope to get it out faster, but I'm not promising anything except that i will get it out eventually. Please leave a review. Also i'm working on getting updates out on the rest of my fics. 


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